Car-coupling.



PATBNTBD MAY 29, 1906.

W. MOOONWAY, JR CAR COUPLING.

APPLIOILTION FILED JAN. 23. 1906.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

No. 821,953. PATENTED MAY 29, 1906. W. MGOONWAY, JR.

GAR COUPLING. APPLICATION FILED JAN. 2s, 1.906.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT, OFFICE.

WILLIAM MoOONWAY, JR, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE MoCON WAY & TORLEY COMPANY, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

CAR-COUPLING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

To all whom it may concern.-

. Be it known that I, WILLIAM MOOONWAY,

Jr. a citizen of the United States, residing at Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Car-Couplings; andIdo hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to the construction of car-couplings of the vertical-plane type, and has for its object the production of a construction in which the knuckle-locking mechanism may be readily brought to an unlocked" position when the knuckle is in a closed posi-- pivotally-mounted lock embodying my intion and exerts pressure upon said lock.

As is well known, when a train is stopped through the intermediacy of the brakes the draft-rigging appliances to which the couplers are attached are under strain and the train is of somewhat greater length than the combined normal lengths of the individual cars and their draft appliances. This condition causes the knuckles of the couplers to exert such great pressure upon their respective locking devices that it is impossible to uncouple any of the cars until the strain upon the draft appliances has been relieved. It

thus results that annoyance and delay frequently occur when it is desired to quickly cut the train into sections or to drill the cars.

For the purpose of overcoming the objection heretofore noted I combine with a coupler-head and its pivoted knuckle a locking mechanism'of such character that the pressure transmitted to the lock by apulling strain upon the knuckle acts in op osition to the frictional resistance develope when the lock is at such time attempted to be brought to an unlocked position, and such a construction embodies the main feature of my invention.

There are other minor features of invention, all as will hereinafter more fully appear.

In the drawings chosen for the purpose of illustrating my invention, the scope whereof is pointed out in the claims, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a coupling provided with a vertically-sliding lock embodying my invention, a portion of the coupler-head being broken away and the lock-set and knuckle-opener member being removed. Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section in the plane of the outer face of the lock, Fig. 1, the parts being in coupled relation and a portion of the lock being broken away to more clearly disclose its relation to the knuckle. Fig. 3 is atransverse vertical section in the plane of the outerface of the lock, Fig. 1, illustrating the relative positions of the parts of the coupling when the lock is supported in unlocked position prior to an opening movement of the knuckle. Fig. 4 is a detached plan view of the knuckle shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3. Fig. 5 is a rear elevation of the knuckle-locking mechanism illustrated in Figs. 1, 2, and 3. Fig.6 is a sectional plan view of a coupling provided with a vention, the several parts of the device being shown in the positions they occupy when the coupling is locked. Fig. 7 is a vertical central section of the coupling illustrated in Fig.

6, the knuckle and knuckle-locking mechanism being shown in side elevation. Fig. 8 is a detached plan view of the knuckle shown in Figs. 6 and 7. Figs. 9 and 10 are, respecoted knuckle-locking device shown in Figs. 6 and 7.

Like symbols refer to like parts wherever they occur. e

For the purpose of illustrating the general a plicability of my invention to car-couplings o the vertical-plane type, I have chosen to illustrate my invention in Figs. 1 to 5, inclu sive, of the drawings as applied to a coupling wherein a vertically-sliding lock is employed, and in Fig. 6 to 10, inclusive, of the drawings my invention is illustrated as applied to a coupling having a pivoted locking device.

' Except as otherwise modified to embody my invention, as hereinafter pointed out, the car-coupling chosen for the purpose ofillustration in Figs. 1 to 5, inclusive, of the drawings maybe of such construction as is shown and described in Letters Patent of the United States No. 787,991, granted April 25, 1905, and the construction shown in Figs. 6 to 10, inclusive, of the drawings may be such as appears in Letters Patent of the United States No. 660,776, dated October 30, 1900.

I; will now proceedto describe my inven- Patented May 29, 1906.

tively, side and front elevations of the pivtion more fully, so that others skilled in the art to which it appertains may apply the same.

Referring now more particularly to the construction shown in Figs. 1 to 5, mclusive, of the drawings, 1 is a coupler-head, to which a knuckle 3 is pivotally attached by means of the usual knuckle-pin 2, 4 being the lock by which the outward movement of the knuckle 3 is restrained. The elements in addition to the coupler-head necessary for practising my invention are a knuckle and its locking mechanism; but for a reason which will hereinafter appear I prefer also to provide the coupling with me ans by which an accidental unlocking movement of the knuckle-locking mechanism under the pressure transmitted thereto by an outward pull up on the knuckle 3 is prevented.

Upon one side of the vertically-sliding lockin -pin 4, preferably adjacent to the knuck e 8, is formed an inclined face 4*, which converges downwardly toward the path of travel of the said look when the latter is moving to a locked position, said inclined face being arranged transversely of the direction of initial uncou ling movement of the adjacent portion of t e knuckle.

When the inclined face 4 is upon that side of the lock 4 which is adjacent to the knuckle 3, the mating incline therefor is formed upon the said knuckle, as at 3 By this arrangement, it will be observed, an unlocking movement of the lock 4 permits the knuckle 3 to immediately begin to move outward toward an uncoupled position, thus relievin the tension upon the draft appliances, an consequently decreasin the pressure of the knuckle'upon the loc so that the frictional resistance to an unlocking movement of the saidlock is immediately decreased and gradually diminishes until the knuckle is com-, pletely released from looking engagement with the said lock. The angle of the mating inclined faces upon the lock and knuckle may be somewhat less than the angle of friction between them, the force necessary to bring the lock 4 to an unlocked position being equal to the weight of the said lock and a slight additional frictional resistance or the angle of these inclined faces 1% and 4 may be equal to the angle of friction, in which event it will only be necessary to exert an'upward pull upon the lock 4 sufficient to overcome its weight. However, to more certainly overi come the frictional resistance to an unlocking movement of the look, I prefer to give to the faces 3 and 4 an inclination which is somewhat greater than the angle of friction and to positively revent the consequent tendency of the loc to assume an unlocked position when the knuckle is subject to a pulling strain. To accomplish this latter purpose, the coupling may be provided with a ock-lifting member, such as 6, the lower end provided member 5 of which moves downwardly and wedges itself between the lock 4 and a portion of the couplerhead when the said lock is in a locked position. Other forms of devices for preventing an accidental unlocking movement of the knuckle-locking mechanism may be employed, if desired, the device here shown being merely by way of illustration and being fully described in Patent No. 787 ,991,heretofore referred to.

In the special construction illustrated in Figs. 1 to 5, inclusive, in which the coupling is with a lock-set and knuckle-opener and with a laterally-extending lug 4 upon the lock foractuating the said member 5, it is necessary to form the knuckle 3 with a beveled facev 3 which lies contiguously to the actuating-lug 4 and affords clearance for the said lug as the knuckle moves outwardly prior to the complete withdrawal of the lock 4 from in front of the said knuckle.

Referring now to Figs. 6 to 10, inclusive, of the drawings, which show the application of my invention to a coupling having a horizontally-pivoted lock, 7 is the coupler-head. upon which the knuckle 9 is pivotally mounted by means of the vertical knuckle-pin 8. In this construction the pivoted lock 10 is provided upon one side with an inclined face 10*, which is transversely disposed with respect to the direction of initial uncoupling movement of that portion of the knuckle which en ages the lock when the several parts of t e device are in coupled relation. As in the construction heretofore described, the said inclined face 10 is referably located upon the side of the loo adjacent to the knuckle and converges toward the line of movement of the lock as the latter completes a locking operation.-

Upon the knuckle 9 is formed the mating locking-face 9 which is inclined to conform to the inclination of the corresponding face 10 upon the lock 10. In this construction the device illustrated for preventing any accidental unlocking movement of the lock 10, under the influence of the pressure transmitted thereto when the knuckle 9 is resisting a pulling strain, consists of a lock-actuat ing member 11, which is provided with a block or a wedge portion that drops down between the rear face of the lock 10 and the Wall of the cou ler-head, to thereby wed e the said lock in ocked position, all as is ful y shown and described in Patent No, 660,776, hereinbefore referred to.

It will be noted that in both forms of construction illustrated in the drawings the wedgin engagement between the knuckle and its locking mechanism causes an unlock-. ing tendency of the knuckle-locking mechanism which acts in opposition to the frictional resistance developed when the lock is moved to an unlocked position at the time the knuckle is subject to a pulling strain. Any suitable device for positively preventing an accidental unlocking movement of the lock may be employed, such device being necessary when the inclination of the mating faces 3 and 4* is such that the pressure transmitted to the lock 4 by a pulling strain upon the knuckle is sufficient to overcome the frictional resistance of the said lock to an unlocking movement.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A car-coupling having a coupler-head, a knuckle pivoted on said head, a knuckleopener device, and a lock for said knuckle, said lock having a knuckle-openeractuating portion, and said knuckle bemg constructed to afford clearance for the knuckle-openeractuating portion of the lock as the knuckle moves outwardly prior to the complete withdrawal of said look from in front of said knuckle.

2. A car-coupling having a coupler-head, a knuckle, locking mechanism for said knuckle, and means for supporting the locking mechanism in unlocked position to permit a subsequent uncoupling rotation of the knuckle, said knuckle and said locking mechanism having wedging engagement between them when in a locked position, whereby the pressure transmitted to said locking mechanism by a pulling strain upon the knuckle tends to cause an unlockingmovement of the said look.

3. A car-coupling having a coupler-head, a knuckle pivotally mounted on said head, locking mechanism for said knuckle, and means operative by the knuckle-locking mechanism for tated outwardly to uncoupled position subsequent to the complete withdrawal of said locking mechanism from in front of said knuckle, said knuckle and said locking mechanism having mating inclined faces whereby an unlocking movement of said knucklelocking mechanism permits an immediate outward movement of said knuckle priorto the complete withdrawal of said locking mechanism from in front of said knuckle.

4. In a car-coupling, the combination with a coupler-head, of a knuckle, knuckle-locking mechanism which is adapted to be maintained in unlocked position by the said knuckle after the latter has been rotated to an uncoupled position, means carried by said locking mechanism for preventing an unlocking movement ofsaid lock, and mating inclines upon said knuckle and said locking mechanism whereby the locking mechanism tends to assume an unlocked position under the pressure transmitted thereto when the knuckle is subjected to a pulling strain.

In testimony whereof I affiX my signature in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM MGCONWAY, JR. Witnesses:

E. M. GROVE, JAMEs M. WEAVER;

causing said knuckle to be ro- 

